6 Podcasts I Love

I may have mentioned this before, but I LOVE podcasts! I listen to them while I clean, fold laundry, cook dinner, basically anytime I'd have music on, I've got a podcast playing. I have a few favorites, not all of them are bookish podcasts, but they have helped me with cleaning routines, decluttering my house, being more mindful, and simplifying my life so I have time to do the things I love.

Here they are, in no particular order!

Image from Aslobcomesclean.com

1. A Slob Comes Clean -  I started listening to this one a little over a year ago, when I was really trying to get my cleaning routine down. I didn't really know where to start, and being a homemaker does not come naturally to me. I had a hard time getting motivated to clean so I started listening to this podcast while I did my dishes, and I've learned so much! I highly recommend starting with episode #1, as she gives her own 'Slob Story' in the first few episodes. I still listen to this podcast on a regular basis and I love being able to go back and listen to episodes on certain subjects when I'm struggling with something. If you're naturally clean and organized this probably isn't the podcast for you, but it's been a great help to me!

Image from Rachelkable.com

2. The Mindful Kind - I stumbled across this podcast by accident one day while I was looking for something new to listen to while cleaning. I've been surprised at how much it has helped me to deal with my anxiety and keep mindfulness as a priority as I go through my day. The host, Rachel Kable, is Australian and I love listening to her talk. Her voice is soothing and just calms me down every time I turn it on. When I first found it I didn't think there was much to talk about with mindfulness, that it could be worth a weekly podcast, but it really is worth it. Mindfulness is something everyone can benefit from and I think everyone should check out this podcast.

Image from stitcher.com

3.  The Simple Show - This podcast covers variety of subjects, travel, books, decluttering, slow living. The host, Tsh, is awesome! She's traveled the world with her family and has made simple living and doing whats right for her family her top priority. She's got some amazing co-hosts, always has excellent guests, and I can always scroll through the episode list and find something that applies to my life and what I need on any given day. She even has an episode on Gilmore Girls!

Image from Modernmrsdarcy.com

4. What Should I Read Next - This is a the purely bookish podcast from the Modern Mrs. Darcy blog. Anne, the host and writer of Modern Mrs. Darcy, covers everything reading, from reviews and recommendations, to ways to track your reading (which is a newer episode, and one of my favorites because, in case you haven't noticed, I LOVE tracking my reading). I love the blog as a whole, because she covers life, not just books. The blog is about books, but she throws in recipes, or a make-up post every now and then. There's posts about moving, about personality types, organizing, and life goals. It is a blog about the life of a reader, the whole life, not just the book parts.

Image from Itunes 

5. Simple Life Together - The is another podcast about simplicity. It's a husband and wife who host it
and they are so much fun to listen too! They are so funny and just listening to their banter back and forth and their conversations makes me smile. They haven't posted new episodes in over a year but there is a lot of great inspiration and tips on simplifying in the 70 or so episodes that they do have.

Image from Literary Disco

6. Literary Disco -  This is like a podcast/bookclub. They are so funny and have great book selections. They don't post episodes very consistently, depending on the hosts work schedules and things there can be some big gaps, but there are over 100 episodes so there's plenty to catch up on. Plus, Rider Strong, Sean from
Boy Meets World, is one of the hosts so that's pretty awesome!

Those are my 6 favorite podcasts! I'm actually listening to The Simple Show while I type this and I've got an episode of The Mindful Kind to listen too while I clean up the playroom! I'm having a hard time with my anxiety today so listening to these is helping me find my calm as best I can. I'm always looking or new podcasts so if anyone out there has some suggestions let me know!

Reading Habits Post #1: My Usual Reading Routine

I say 'usual reading routine' but I mean that very loosely. Sometimes the whole routine just can't happen. Sometimes it's just reading a few pages while I stand in the kitchen waiting for water to boil or the oven timer to go off so I can take out dinner. So I guess this is more like my 'ideal reading routine'.
This is what I do when I get an hour or so to dedicate to reading. Usually that's at night after everyone else is in bed, sometimes nap times but that's usually
when I clean. Or scroll through Pinterest. Some of these habits are good and some are not so good. I'm going to do this as a series so I can work on changing the bad habits into good ones, and hopefully being more intentional with my reading time in order to get the most out of it.

Step 1- Boil water. Of course this step only applies if I'm making coffee or tea. When I know I've got a bit of time to sit down and read I'll fill the kettle and get it on the stove first.

Step 2-Comfy clothes. I prefer pj pants, but leggings or yoga pants work too. No bra. I can't really relax with a bra on. Over-sized t-shirt, usually The Husbands.


Step 3: Prepare the beverage. Back in the kitchen, I get out my mug and select a tea flavor or prep the french press. Measure proper amount of tea leaves into the tea ball and usually by then the water is boiling. Pour water, insert tea ball, or put the lid on the french press for coffee, Steep/brew for proper amount of time, usually 3-4 minutes.

Step 4: While hot beverage of choice is brewing, select the snack(s). I usually go for fruit (frozen fruit is the best) or cookies. Honestly, fruit is the healthier choice, but if there are cookies in the house, I'm eating cookies.

Step 5: Sit and read. I have an armchair in the living/play room that is supposed to be my 'reading chair' but  it doesn't have an ottoman for my feet, and all the warm blankies are in the family room, so I usually end up reading on the couch. I leave the TV off, but my computer is usually close by. I read for a bit, look at Facebook a bit, read some more, check out Pinterest for a bit. You get the idea...

So, habits I want to change;
1. Computer use while reading. This is a bad one, since it's really easy to get sucked into Youtube, or Pinterest and waste all my reading time.
2. Snacks. Snacking by itself is not a problem, I want to make better snack choices. Less cookies, more fruit.
3. Cleaning before reading. This mostly applies to my 'middle of the day' reading during nap time. I tend to put off dishes and things in order to read, then I'm rushing to get things done at the end of the day, and cleaning from Monday spills over too Tuesday and then I've got double the work to do and before I know it I'm totally overwhelmed with my house and The Husband is eating dinner off one of The Toddlers plastic pink plates because all the others are dirty.

It doesn't seem like a lot of things to change, but this is stuff that I, personally, struggle with. I hate cleaning, and I love food and the internet so I've got my work cut out for me. I look at all of this as a way of becoming more mindful and fully enjoy something (reading) that I already know I love.

How to Purge Books and Not Regret It Later

In the first post I wrote about how I purged (sold/donated) more than half my book collection, and later came to regret it immensely. Since then I've acquired a lot of books, and I've also let go of some books.

Why would I let go of more books if I regretted the first round?

Because I decided to only have books I loved in my library. I mean really, really, loved. I didn't want to fill up my house with books I wasn't going to read, or read once and decided I didn't care for but kept simply because it was a book. I realized that what I missed wasn't the contents of the books I'd gotten rid of. It was the comforting feel of being surrounded by books, it was the smell of books, and the look of all the different spines next to each other on the shelves. I did miss some of the books. Sometimes I go to look for a book and think 'why in the hell did I ever let that go? what was wrong with me?' I know what was wrong, I was so deep in depression that I was willing to do anything to get out of it, and I did. I purged my whole house, not just the books, and the only things I've regretted letting go of are the the books and a vegetable peeler that got thrown out on accident when I was dumping kitchen drawers into bags and sending them to Goodwill.

The point being, I had to learn the right way, for me, to let go of the books. So this is the process that I use to cull my book collection in order to keep the books I love, and not regret it later.

Things you will need:
1. A box to put the books that will be leaving.
2. Method of catloging books
3. Music or a podcast
3. Dust rag/swiffer

Step 1: Gather all your books. Yes, all of them. I take a laundry basket and go through the house and pick up the books from all the rooms at once. I don't know how they seem to migrate all over the house, but they do. This step is important if this is the first time you've attempted to purge your books, since it's hard to decide what to keep if you don't know exactly what you have to begin with. I don't try to shelve all the books at this point, just kind of pile them up by genre.


Step 2: Catalog new books. I use the Library Thing app for this. I can just scan the book and its added to my library, and I know instantly if the book is a duplicate. I used to buy a lot of duplicates, not so much any more.

Step 3: Unless you have multiple copies on purpose, put the duplicates in the donate box.

Step 4; Look at each shelf. There are some decluttering methods that say you should hold each item and think about if brings you joy, or ask yourself 10 questions about the item, but that takes too long. And if you love books like I do, they all bring you joy. Pick out any books you didn't enjoy or don't intend to read/finish/ever pick up again. Ask yourself why am I keeping this? If you can't find a good answer, put it in the donate box. Even if it was a gift, even if you spent money on it, even if you're not entirely sure you want to let go of it at this point. Put it in the box.


Step 5: Shelve the books that were scattered all over the house. This is where some more purging might have to happen. I currently have two bookshelves. I don't have room for more bookshelves, two is it. So if all my books don't fit on those shelves, I either have to reorganize to get them to fit or be a little more hardcore with the purging. In all honesty, I usually reorganize and find more room. I'm not going to get rid of books I love because the shelves don't look like Martha Stewart organized them, but if you're on the fence about a book this is a good way to help make that decision.

Step 6: Once you've put all the books you don't remember why you're keeping in the box, dust the shelves quickly and pick up the box.

Step 7; Put the box somewhere that you can't see it constantly. In the back of a closet, in the garage, in the trunk of your car, it doesn't matter where you put it, just so long as the books will remain dry and bug free, and it's not somewhere you can't see all the time. I keep mine in the garage. Leave the box there for a couple of weeks. If you don't miss the books then it's okay for them to go. If you find yourself looking for a specific book each time you look at your bookshelves, then go get it out of the box. Clearly, you are not ready to let go of that book yet. If you find a book that you think might need to go in the box, go put it there. I usually leave mine for closer to a month, and there are very few books I've retrieved from the donate box.

Most decluttering methods encourage you to get rid of the items the same day, and for most things that is a good idea, but for books it's a little different. For me it is, anyway. This way you can be sure you're only sending off books that you truly are ready to let go of, and make room for more books you love.

I've also found that although I may not be ready to get rid of a certain book in June, for example, by November I've found books that I love a ton more and I'm ready to let go of that book I was on the fence about. Which is why it's a good idea to do this periodically. I try to go through my books every 3 months or every time I get a big book haul (birthdays, Christmas, a random Tuesday at the bookstore).

The most important thing to remember is that unless you are having to downsize very quickly for some reason, you don't have to be ruthless with donating or selling your books. Be gentle and cultivate your library in a way that works for you, in your own time. As I've gone through this process over that last year or so it's become easier to realize which books I love, and really add to my life and reading habits, and which ones I really don't feel the need to keep around. Rome wasn't built in a day, and neither is a book collection. It takes time to build it and it will take time to refine it to a well loved, well read, well stocked library.

Reading Habits: A Mug of Something Warm

We are having some weird weather here. It snowed Monday night, about four inches, and it was beautiful. Then Tuesday the temperature went up to just above 32 degrees, it rained all day Tuesday and by Tuesday evening most of the snow was gone. But now the temperature has dipped back down again and all the water that had no where to go has frozen over everything. 

So all in all it's a cold, crappy, winter here. Which is perfect reading weather! When it's cold out there's nothing better that a blanket, a book, and a cup of something warm. I usually save my coffee/tea for The Toddler's nap time, when I'm actually alone and can sit down and enjoy it. I used to be a two-cups-a-day, don't-talk-to-me-till-I've-had-my-coffee, type of person, but in the last year that's changed. I don't know if it's just that I'm getting older or has to do with my anxiety or what, but I can't handle sugar first thing in the morning. I get all shaky and jittery, which is not an enjoyable thing, and I can't drink coffee without cream and sugar. So, when the house is quiet I boil some water and make some coffee or tea.

 I use a french press for my coffee because I recently discovered mold growing in my little 4 cup coffee machine and had to toss it. I already had the french press so I decided to use it instead of buying another coffee machine. I like that it's a more mindful process but it does require a higher quality coffee than a drip machine. I can't wait till my three pound can of coffee grounds from Costco is used up so I can buy a small bag of fresh ground coffee. The Costco coffee, though okay for a drip machine, kind of turns into mud in the french press, tasteless and bitter. I discovered the other day though that I can put hot chocolate mix into my coffee and it tastes almost like my favorite Starbucks drink! YAY! So now I do that most afternoons. I get to have a faux mocha latte and read a book. 

I also love tea! For a long time I loved the idea of tea but didn't really like tea itself. Of course I was only buying black tea bags from the grocery store and didn't know anything about proper brew times or anything like that. Now I buy loose leaf tea from a small, local, tea shop and it is infinitely better. My favorite tea for the morning is called Scottish Morn by Harney and Sons. It's a black tea and it's stronger than English Breakfast tea, but not as strong as coffee, and I drink it black in the morning. I like tea in the evening too. I love a blend called Heavenly Hazelnut. It's so cozy and has little bits of chocolate in it. I drink that one with a little milk and sugar in it but not much, the flavor is too good to cover up with a bunch of sugar. 

Honestly, I usually only get though half a mug of whatever I happen to be drinking. I usually get too involved in whatever I'm doing and forget about it, especially if I'm reading. But the mindfulness of brewing a cup of tea, of selecting my favorite mug and choosing a tea and preparing the teapot/infuser. I find it so calming after a day of constantly being needed and doing everything for other people, even though I love the people, that's why I do it all, but I need those few minutes for myself at the end of the day.